Category: Latest News

Proposed Legionella Risk Assessment

On behalf of the Association, Legionella Risk and PAT have been appointed to conduct a legionella risk assessment to a small proportion of our stock.

We have issued a letter of Authority to Legionella Risk and PAT to produce to our tenants when cold-calling our properties and conducting their door-to-door visits.

The attending surveyor will require access to all water sentinel outlets i.e., taps, showers, and operational/redundant hot and cold-water storage tanks.

The findings of the risk assessment will identify any risk of Legionella.

Our policy on Legionella Management can be found here.

Please see the control leaflet below providing more information in relation to Legionella and how to prevent legionnaires disease.

Legionella Control – Tenants Advice

What is Legionella?

• The bacteria, Legionella pneumophila, is common in natural water sources such as rivers. It may also be found in purpose-built water systems such as hot and cold-water systems.
• If conditions are favourable, the bacteria may grow, increasing the risks of Legionnaires’ disease.  It is therefore important to control the risks – The Control of Legionella bacteria in water systems (L8).

In October 2013, the HSE amended the Approved Code of Practice L8 – Legionella control.

How does this affect me?

• Your landlord (Shire Housing Association) will carry out a survey to a sample of flatted dwellings to comply with the guidance, and demonstrate compliance under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

What do I have to do?

• As the person living in the property, you have a duty to inform your landlord if the hot water is not reaching 50 degrees or above.
• If you leave the property vacant for 2 weeks, you must run the cold water taps for 5 minutes and the hot water taps for 2 minutes to flush all stagnant water out of the pipework.
• You have a duty to inform your landlord if the property is going to be vacant for 4 weeks or more.
• You should clean and descale your showerheads and taps every 3 months.

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact Ross McCrindle, Asset Officer at Shire Housing Association on 01290 421130.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Following a recent external review of the ‘Customer Service Excellence (CSE)’ accreditation, the Association are pleased to advise that we have passed the review and maintain this accreditation.

Furthermore, the Association were awarded the ‘Compliance Plus for Customer Service Excellence’ in recognition of their support to its people and community in the following areas:

• Developed customer insight about its customer groups to better understand their needs and preferences,
• Efforts to identify hard to reach and disadvantaged groups and individuals and develop our services in response to their specific needs,
• Positive changes to services as a result of analysing customer experience, including improved customer journeys.

The Association continues to support its people and its community.  Please do not hesitate to contact our office for any assistance or guidance with matters relating to Housing and Financial support.

Thank you to our tenants, members, employees, and Board – your cooperation is invaluable and helps shape the services provided by the Association.

As part of our rolling review programme, we have been updating some of our policies and procedures.

Our tenants have a right to be consulted on key policies and proposals that may have an impact on them.

We welcome you to review our draft ‘Procurement Strategy’ below and give us your feedback using the survey link below. We will take into account any views that you have before making a final decision.

The consultation period will run until Thursday 15th June 2023.

Thanking you in advance for your cooperation.

PROCUREMENT STRATEGY 

• Draft Procurement Strategy – June 2023
• Survey – Procurement Strategy – June 2023

Our office will be closed on Friday 26th and Monday 29th May for bank holidays. 

Our normal out of hours emergency repairs service will be in operation via 01290 421130.  

Rent Payment can be made at any time by calling 0330 041 6497, via the AllPay website www.allpayments.net or by using the Allpay mobile app. You can also continue to make payments directly into our bank account, or using the Post Office or PayPoint outlets.

The following numbers may also be of use:

For gas escapes: Transco 0800 111 999

For electrical supply faults: Scottish Power 0800 092 9290

For burst water mains: Scottish Water 0800 731 084

 

How you apply for housing is changing 👍 !

How we process housing applications and allocate houses has moved online.

This allows applicants to:

create an account via an email address
apply for housing
manage their application
view their position on the list and
contact us directly via their application at a time that is suitable to them.

To apply for housing click HERE

As part of our rolling review programme, we have been updating some of our policies and procedures.

Our tenants have a right to be consulted on key policies and proposals that may have an impact on them.

We welcome you to review our draft policies below and give us your feedback using the survey links below. We will take into account any views that you have before making a final decision.

The consultation period will run until Thursday 18th May 2023.

Thanking you in advance for your cooperation.

DAMP AND MOULD POLICY 

• Draft Policy – Damp & Mould – May 2023 
• Survey – Damp & Mould – May 2023 

CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION (CCTV) POLICY

• Draft Policy – CCTV – May 2023 
• Survey – CCTV – May 2023 

Partnership working sees life-saving defibrillator installed outside Shire office. 

Working in partnership with our repairs contractor, Everwarm, Shire Housing Association has made its defibrillator available to the general public.

The Association had invested in a defibrillator for its Cumnock office a number of years ago.  In testament to its strategic objective to enhance wellbeing in its communities, we purchased a cabinet to move the life-saving equipment outside.  Everwarm shared their generoisty and passion for community wellbeing by contributing staff time for the installation of the cabinet as part of their community benefit work.

In an emergency, the equipment can be accessed by calling 999.

Julie Allison, Head of Housing at Shire Housing is pictured with Derrick from Everwarm.

Our office will close at 4.45pm on Thursday 6th April  and will reopen at 8.45am on Tuesday 11th April 2023. 

Our normal out of hours emergency repairs service will be in operation via 01290 421130.  

Rent Payment can be made at any time by calling 0330 041 6497, via the AllPay website www.allpayments.net or by using the Allpay mobile app. You can also continue to make payments directly into our bank account, or using the Post Office or PayPoint outlets.

The following numbers may also be of use:

For gas escapes: Transco 0800 111 999

For electrical supply faults: Scottish Power 0800 092 9290

For burst water mains: Scottish Water 0800 731 084

 

Shire Housing Association was delighted to welcome Patrick Harvie MSP, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenant’ Rights, to hear about the opportunities and challenges the Association face. The Minister met with senior staff and the Chair of the Management Board at our offices on Friday 3rd February 2023.

Shire provides social housing in 16 communities in East Ayrshire. The Association’s 961 properties include 16 different construction types, many of which are in mixed tenure blocks with owner-occupiers. Shire staff were able to take the Minister on site to meet with the contractor working on its Net Zero Heat Fund Project in Netherthird. Working in partnership with the Energy Agency, Shire is targeting external wall insulation for mixed tenure properties.

The Minister also met with Shire Tenant Panel member Edna Taylor who was able to talk candidly about the difficulties tenants have in heating homes and affording fuel bills.

The Association showcased its work as a community anchor which invests in and supports its communities. Most recently, Shire has distributed 400 energy saving packs to households to help reduce fuel usage and save costs.

Shire’s Chair, Lorne Campbell said “this was a fantastic opportunity for the Minister to see, first hand, the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and the efforts that the Association puts in to support its communities.”

The increased cost of living is affecting everybody and presenting daily challenges.  This could be in relation to staying warm and heating your homes, feeding your families, paying your bills including rent or feeling isolated and unsure where to turn for advice or assistance.

Shire Housing Association have access to a number of ways to assist our tenants, from providing practical support to signposting to other agencies for advice and assistance.

To find out more, please answer the questions in the online survey, available here, and we will get back to you.